The Push to the Playoffs Begins
The Peterborough Petes are set to play three games in three nights this week. They first square off against the Central Division’s Niagara IceDogs in a home-and-home series starting this Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre followed by a visit from our heated rivals, the Oshawa Generals on Saturday. The importance of these games cannot be overstated. The Petes are currently two points behind the Sudbury Wolves, who hold the eighth and final playoff spot, with 39 points. Peterborough has yet to lose to Niagara while the Gens have been defeated by the Petes three times this season, including a 3-1 win in front of the home crowd last Thursday.
Philadelphia Flyers prospect and Peterborough native J.R. Avon, who is currently on a seven game point streak (3G-5A-8PTS), can extend his point streak to eight games. Fellow hometown product Chase Stillman can extend his point streak to 10 games after picking up four goals and six assists for 10 points in his last nine games.
The Maroon and White defeated Niagara by one goal in each of the previous contests. The teams have scored a combined 20 goals in two games, making each a scoring bonanza. The Petes took the first meeting, 5-4, on Oct. 30, 2021 at the Meridian Centre and edged the IceDogs 6-5 in overtime at the PMC on Feb. 5.
Rivalries like Peterborough and Oshawa are few and far between in junior hockey. The clubs have met in the playoffs several times and the games always get physical whenever these squads lock horns. While going 1-4 earlier this season against Oshawa, the Petes have since split games with the Gens, collecting a 2-2 record and picking up two straight wins at home. The Lift Lock City lads have outscored Oshawa 8-3 in those games.
The building will be rocking in downtown Peterborough this Thursday so you don’t want to miss out on your chance to be a part of the action. Then, the best fans in the OHL get another treat with an old fashioned rivalry on Saturday night that has playoff implications. Cheer on your Peterborough Petes as they make a push for the playoffs!
